Detective Riku
by Merodi-chan
Summary: AU. In this world, Riku is a young detective, a brilliant girl, or so they say. What happens when she goes up against the most prominent criminal mind of the times?
1. Part I

It's been too long since I've posted something. I'm still kinda stuck with the other stories at this point, because of classes and musical engagements. I wrote this a while back, and I'd wanted to make it a oneshot, but it's been way too long. I want to get this off of my hands for the time being. Part II will come later, but who knows how long that'll be? **Blackrose108** was supposed to peer-edit for me, but she keeps _not doing it_, so this is the unedited version. I'll repost it later if there are significant changes to be made.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DNAngel. If I did, I'd actually have some artisitic talent beyond ceramics. I'm not even too good at that...

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_Another day at the office_, thought Riku. She'd been working at this job for about five years now, but she'd only gotten a few worthwhile cases. Most of her time was filled with tedious paperwork. Her assistant came in and plopped another stack of papers down on her desk.

"Miss Riku, here are the reports you asked for."

Rubbing her eyes, Riku thanked her assistant and reached for the top sheet. "Why does everything I ask for have to take so long to get through?" she muttered to herself. Of course, when she had first started working as a detective, it had been fun and exciting, especially after law school. But over time, those ecstatic feelings had worn away to a sort of impatience, like she was longing for a more interesting case, the right case: the one she would throw herself into.

Riku sighed, and forced herself to fix her eyes onto the paper she held. She had told Risa, her assistant, to get her the reports about the recent string of art robberies. Though she wasn't the one commissioned to this case, Riku still liked to try her hand at every case that came her way, to keep her skills sharp.

She scanned the first page of the first report, until her eyes found a point of interest: a description.

_Tall, dark hair, and... wings?_

Clearly, the culprit was either a lunatic or something... else. She quickly scanned the rest of the papers. Each time, the thief would enter mysteriously, somehow past the police force, take what he was after, and exit through a window, usually on a pair of black wings. Riku narrowed her eyes as she memorized that. Further, the thief would usually send a calling card, as if he was taunting the police and their detectives.

Acting on impulse, Riku hacked in to the police servers. "Oops," she muttered, "I promised him I wouldn't do that again." Shrugging the thought aside, she continued to sift through the records until she found the file on the art thief. She flipped through and picked out the calling cards from Dark, as the thief seemed to be called, and she carefully ordered them. Soon, a pattern became apparent: 7pm on Saturday, then 9pm the following Wednesday. After that, 8pm on Friday. Every two weeks or so, shift forward a day to keep them slightly confused. Move from museum to museum in a circle, and reverse the order after cycling around three times. This was a really obvious pattern, and she was kind of confused. Why hadn't the police picked up on this yet? After all, they had _him _working on this case, didn't they?

According to this information, the thief would next strike on... 9pm on Monday at the National Art Gallery. Now that this was out of the way, Riku had to prepare. Should she try for a stake-out? Or maybe she should just tell the police and let them take care of it.

A loud buzzing interrupted her train of thought. Startled, she cast around for the source, which happened to be her laptop. They'd caught her in the database, again. Quickly, she tapped the restart shortcut and flipped the laptop closed just as she heard a familiar ring from her desk.

_I hope he wasn't stationed in tech support today, or else... I suppose it _was_ too much to hope for._

Hiwatori Satoshi's voice reached her ears through the speaker of the office phone that she had just answered.

"I thought you said that you wouldn't hack onto our servers anymore, Miss Harada."

Riku laughed nervously. "Well, something came up and..."

"You forgot."

"Well... Yeah..."

Satoshi sighed into the mouthpiece. "See that it does not happen in the future, when our intruder policy may not be so lenient."

"Of course, Sa-" Riku didn't get a chance to finish his name before he hung up. This was the third time that he had caught her. She really needed to practice technological stealth. Too bad that she was an independent inspector, because that meant she was paid directly by her clients, which limited her income. Riku really wanted to buy some organic data chips, which she would convert to a cloaking mechanism, but black market ware was beyond her resources at the time being.

_At least his phone call convinced me to keep my information all to myself. _

As she looked over the information again, she felt strangely drawn to this case. It wasn't every day that she found a bit of fun that the police hadn't already ruined. The organization in question seemed properly baffled by this, and there was no way she would let this slip past her. If she solved it, she'd have another prestigious accomplishment to dangle in their faces. After all, they _were_ the ones who'd laughed off her abilities in the beginning.

_I wonder if they regret letting me go?_

She booted up her pc now, because she wanted to give the laptop a rest. After all, she didn't keep tabs on the tech department's new tracking devices, though she probably should, she decided. Riku quickly recorded the information on Dark's calling cards onto her hard drive for safekeeping. Then, she waved goodbye to Risa, who sat in the receptionist's desk near the glass doors. "There's work to be done!" Riku told her.

Easing the door shut behind her, the detective emerged into the late morning sun appearing as ordinary as a civilian. Not all inspectors dress in the traditional trench coat and hat, and Riku was one who thought such fashion was sorely outdated. Instead, she preferred to don a simple white blouse and a light brown long skirt, most days, or a pink sweater with blue jeans in the winter along with her black overcoat. Today, however, she opted for a pale green turtleneck and tan capris.

With her notebook and pencil tucked under one arm, she strolled down the busy street, heading for the National Art Gallery. Most probably, Dark would try for the Shirahime no Tsuki sculpture that was currently on display in the main hall. By all accounts, it was a beautifully intricate sculpture, made of white marble and inlaid with silver. Riku understood why Dark would try to steal it. But the sculpture was heavily protected by motion sensors and guards. Not the kind of guards who stand around eating doughnuts, but these were _real _guards, dependable and effective. How would anyone get past security like that? Still, she had heard of thieves who had weaseled their way around tougher spots than those, so she wasn't about to discount Dark's ability. No, the more distressing thought was: If Dark were to break in and steal the Shirahime no Tsuki, it would be either a completely secret method, and they wouldn't find out until the next morning, or he would try for the most obvious path, in the hopes that the guards would be _too _observant and only pay attention to suspicious details. Of course, there's always the fact that every barricade or safety measure has its loopholes.

Riku stopped in front of the Art Gallery, scrutinizing the towering white columns once again. She'd actually had to perform a stake-out here before, back when she had a contract with the police department. That time, the thief had almost been successful; she'd taken off through the dark halls with the painting before Riku realized what was happening and sounded the alarm. The incident had cost her her job, and it was then that she decided to work freelance. Looking back, that was probably the best decision of her life. She didn't have superiors who didn't understand her, who wouldn't support her because she was female, and who tried to take credit for themselves. After hiring Risa, Riku had begun to take a place among the populace as a brilliant, trustworthy, and dependable detective. Soon, she had to declare herself a specialty inspector, because she simply did not have the time to find everyone and his mother's missing dog, cat, or keys.

Her heels quietly clicking on the tiled floor of the museum, Riku silently paid the entrance fee. She shook her head as her feet traced the long corridor that led into the main hall. It did her no good to dwell on past memories, and she had to concentrate on the task ahead. While seeming only remotely interesting at first, this case had gradually drawn her attention in the space of a few hours. A faint smile graced her lips; she was actually looking forward to the task ahead.

When she stepped into the main hall, Riku noticed a figure dressed in spotless white standing at the foot of the 9-foot tall, impressive marble statue titled Shirahime no Tsuki. His short-ish blond hair waved as he swung his head around to gaze at her.

_Satoshi?_

He smiled lazily, as if enjoying her confusion. "Ah, my dear hacker. What brings you here?"

She took an involuntary step back, slightly startled. "I... " she began, trying not to stutter. "I'm just here to see the Shirahime no Tsuki. Is there a problem with that?" She managed to finish confidently. Why did she always feel so nervous around him? What was it that stimulated that fear?

"No, of course not, but I don't think that's what you came for, is it?"

"I..."

Why couldn't she talk properly? He was only her ex-boyfriend, after all. There was no reason for fear, she knew, but she couldn't get her body to respond as he took measured steps toward her.

Satoshi reached out a pale hand to caress her cheek, and she tried not to shudder at the touch. It had been over a year since they had broken up, and Riku really did not want to reopen that avenue of her life. Their relationship had been... rocky, at best, and they had fought constantly until she finally realized what he truly was: possessive and abusive. His other arm encircled her waist, and she tried to pull away.

"Won't you come back to me?" he whispered in her ear. She pushed him away with her hand, but he just snatched her wrist in a grip that belied his image.

"S-Satoshi, please let go."

In response, he only tightened the hold. "You're still mine..."

"Hey."

The interruption, though slight, was heard by both of them. Satoshi turned his head toward the voice in anger, and Riku saw a young man, probably in his twenties. He wore a jean jacket over a plain white shirt and faded blue jeans. A black cap hid most of his hair, and she could see the red tips poking out from under the rim, which covered his eyes. The man stared at Satoshi, clearly irritated. "The lady told you to let her go."

Riku was jerked against Satoshi as he glared at the stranger. "She's _my _woman, and she'll do as I say. Don't meddle in others' business," he growled.

"Quite the contrary, actually. She looks very uncomfortable when she's near you. It is my self-proclaimed duty to free women from oppressors like you." With that, the man punched Satoshi in the face.

Clutching his nose, Satoshi was pushed back and Riku lost her balance. The stranger held out a hand to her. "Are you alright, miss?"

"I-I think so. Thanks," Riku stammered when she looked into his eyes. They were a strange mixture of pale red and purple that seemed to change with each second she spent staring at them. They were oddly mesmerizing, and for some reason, she couldn't look away. He smiled, an expression that made her heart ache, for some reason.

_After all that time with Satoshi, am I falling in love again?_

No! It couldn't be, could it? He was just a stranger; she didn't even know his name. What was she thinking? Then, as if he had read her mind, the man said, "I'm Daisuke Niwa. What's your name?"

"R-Riku Harada..."

He smiled at her again, and then he turned to the statue. "So, what brings you here? Just an art lover, or something else?"

"Well, I wanted to see the Shirahime to Tsuki. I've heard a lot about it, and I just wanted to see it for myself." She blushed as Daisuke chuckled softly. She had to get control of herself before her brain flipped into embarrassing high-school girl mode!

"That's not the whole truth, is it?" he asked casually. Riku's heart pounded in shock. How could someone like him know why she was here? Luckily, she'd had enough training to keep her composure. It would be a sad day when the best actor in her high school graduating class couldn't tell a convincing lie with a face to go along with it.

"Of course it is," she answered calmly. "I wouldn't lie to someone I just met, would I?"

"Would you?" he repeated. They were silent for a full minute before he turned the conversation to more trivial subjects. "So, where do you work?"

"I'm an independent detective. I'll take just about any case, as long as it's worth my while. I usually take art-related or murder cases. Maybe you've heard of me somewhere?" She grinned full into his face, warming up to the subject. Riku loved to talk about her work; it was truly for her a dream job. Even when Daisuke shook his head in a regretful manner, her spirit brightened all the more with the opportunity to educate another about the delicacies of her work.

She spent hours just talking for leisure, something she hadn't done in a while. Of course, it helped that Daisuke was a relatively easy person to speak to; he was a great listener and he also provided intelligent discussion. After some time, he would slowly shift the subject to another topic, an action that Riku allowed herself to get caught up in. She'd noticed it happening, but it'd been such a long time since the last conversation she'd had that wasn't crucial to her occupational tasks. It was time that she rediscovered what it felt like to let time flow past her in a lazy stream, uncaring how it was spent.

Now, they were on the subject of trees. Apparently, if she let herself be led by Daisuke's subtle topic changes, it would lead her to some very strange places. Surprisingly, there was much to be said about trees. Another hour was happily spent as she discussed the intricacies of grooves in the bark with her new acquaintance. Sadly, their debate over the proportions of leaf size to petal color was cut short by a soft ringing from Riku's front pocket.

"Miss Riku?" Risa's voice sounded slightly tinny through the phone. "There's someone here who wants to see you. It's about the reports you wanted earlier."

"Okay, I'll be right there," she responded. Ending the call, Riku turned to Daisuke. "I'm sorry, but something's come up at my office. I really enjoyed talking with you, and I hope we can get together again sometime." She waved to him and rushed out.

Daisuke watched her go, eyes hidden by his hat. So, she was a detective? This could turn out to be quite sticky if she were involved. The truth was, he _had _heard of her before. She'd quickly risen in the ranks of her field to be considered one of the most brilliant women of the times. If she ever suspected, or began to suspect, there would be no escape from her. He had to tread carefully, if he was to escape unscathed. He turned back to the statue, appraising it once more, before slipping into the shadows...

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Well, how was it? If I can do better, please let me know. I haven't read and reread DNAngel like the hardcore fans, so I'm a bit unsure of the characterization. Please review!

Merodi-chan, 1.31.06


	2. Part II

First of all, I'd like to say thank you to all of you who reviewed, and everyone else who is reading this story. At long last, I have finished Part II, the middle section. The next one will be the last, so I'll be taking a little longer. It'll be pretty long, though. As always, your reviews are welcome and highly encouraged. I hadn't expected to recieve 12 reviews for a first chapter, so I was _assez contente _when I read each of them.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own D N Angel. I do own this alternate universe, though. I also own all of your happy reviews! Whee!

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PART II

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"These are classified reports that cannot be released to the general public," the uniformed man sitting before her related in monotone. "You must hereby relinquish all copies in your possession to the police immediately."

Riku sighed. Just when was starting to get interesting, They had to step in. It was always like this. It wouldn't surprise her if They were actually "watching over" her. In fact, They'd probably done that since she left the police force. How else would they know she was "secretly" working on the Dark case? Satoshi would have known _something_ was up, but he wouldn't go so far as to assume that she had stolen- er, borrowed those documents. In any case, she wasn't about to give up her resources to easily. Risa had spent a good ten minutes of hard work to find those. There it was: another reason the police were outdated. "Stupid freaks…" she mumbled under her breath.

"I'm sorry; what was that?" It was that darn monotone again. The police could really do better in their public relations positions choices. That would certainly make all the difference.

"I didn't say anything. Oh, about those reports: I'm sorry, but I no longer possess any copies of them whatsoever. A particularly strong virus happened to worm its way in and, well, you can figure out the rest. That wasn't a very prideful moment for me, let me tell you. It corrupted many other files that I had thought were properly encoded against hacking in general." Riku smiled fakely, hoping he would buy it. She knew he would; it was what she'd been trained for, after all. She then dismissed any ideas of printed copies with a comment about some accidentally spilled coffee earlier that morning. With no other apparent holes to poke at, the man reluctantly left, his back turned to her radiantly shining "theater face." There was no way that she would give up any information she had to Them.

As her sparkling-clean glass door swung shut behind the intelligence officer, she caught sight of a suspicious shadow in the corner of the window next to the door.

_So it was him… Satoshi…_

Of course, _he _would do this, just to get back at her. She _was_ the one who'd ended their relationship, wasn't she?

Riku rubbed her forehead with her hands. It wasn't like her to think about such things for so long. Now that the boring man had left, she had more issues to take care of, such as hiding her tracks. It was true that sometimes, detectives have to act like criminals to catch them. But, as many of her colleagues would agree, that was part of the fun. On the other hand, though, it was no fun if you were caught.

"Risa, would you run a checklist on our security systems, please?"

"Right away," came the answer. Riku could hear the small sounds of keys being pressed on Risa's keyboard. Almost immediately, her assistant read off a short list of needed upgrades. "The tracking system needs to work faster, and the firewalls need to be reinforced."

"Is that it?" When she received the confirmation, Riku continued. "Then go ahead. There's no use in trying to save money anymore, is there? We've been past that stage for quite a while now."

--

Daisuke slipped around the circular wall support, which was one of many in the main display hall of the museum. He still had some kinks to work out of tonight's plan. That pesky security camera was turned in just the right angle to cut off his preferred escape route: the high window. He quickly scanned the windows again, trying to find at least one that wasn't in range of the camera. Finding none, Daisuke cursed. This would be the first time that he wouldn't be able to use what had baffled police in the past: his black wings.

He was quite fond of those wings. Each feather held a special memory for him, tied to a significant place or event.

He remembered the first one he had gotten. Daisuke had been five years old at the time. The day he had met Toto-chan, his preschool playmate, a mysterious black feather had appeared on his pillow. As he'd reached for the strange object, he had heard a voice whispering in his ear.

"_Kono wa kimi no kuroi tsubasa desu…"_

As if compelled by some other force, Daisuke had taken the feather and hidden it in a desk drawer. The next one came a few weeks later, when he had gotten a pet rabbit for his birthday. When he had moved its cage into his room, the feather appeared on top of the metal bars, seeming to just pop into existence. This time the voice said something a bit different.

"_Sore wa kimi no sadame desu…"_

Over time, the feathers had piled up, and one day, they formed themselves into a pair of wings. He had watched in amazement as his store of what were essentially memories changed into its new form. One last time, he heard the voice, the voice of… his _wings_…

"_Kimi wa DARK desu. Massugu ni mirai e ikiru."_

Since that day, he had begun to steal, small things at first, but soon moving along to bigger heists. It was not too long before he encountered the delightful challenge of stealing famous pieces of art. He'd warmed up to the task quickly, devising flawless strategies and lifting masterpieces from all over the world. Then, he'd returned to Japan.

He had not been to Japan since his parents had moved to America, taking him with them. It had long been a suspicion of his that he stole art because he himself was an artist. In America, he had taken or been forced to take an abundance of art classes. At the age of seven, it had been Basic Painting. Then, he'd moved along to Intermediate, and even Advanced. Along the way, he'd also studied sculpture and clay. Each class had furthered his interest, as did his classmates' approval.

The ornate clock in the museum struck two o'clock, jarring Daisuke out of his thoughts and back to the present. Time was running out. It was a good thing he worked well under pressure.

--

"Well, I think it's been long enough," Riku said. She and Risa had been waiting for hours now, to be sure Satoshi's henchmen weren't still hanging around. What did she do to deserve him stalking her? Ok, she knew the answer to that one: she went out with him in the first place. But she didn't know it would turn out like this! Really, you'd think a grown man wouldn't act so childish. Sometimes, her life was just so frustrating.

Risa tapped a few keys on her keyboard in answer. "Yes, I think we can close up now." She flipped the cover of her laptop down into the "off" position. The click was audible in the quiet room. Risa began to straighten up her desk as Riku did the same on her side. For a while, the only sounds were those of shuffling papers.

Riku glanced at the clock. It read 8:51 pm, 21 minutes after they were supposed to close. Tonight, she would have to look over her notes from that murder case again. Monday nights were always boring.

Wait. Today was Monday? But that meant…

She rushed out of the office, grabbing her jacket on the way out, leaving Risa to lock up. It was already dark outside, the streetlights just turning on. Her feet pounded the sidewalk as her figure was washed by pools of yellow light over and over again. How could she be so careless? Today was the day Dark would appear at the National Art Gallery!

Panting, she skidded to a stop. She leaned against a pillar in front of the Art Gallery, trying to catch her breath. Her watch displayed… Huh? Her watch was gone! Riku spent precious minutes trying to find her timepiece before remembering that she had been in the middle of dismantling it and reconstructing it out of boredom earlier. Then, she'd just left it. On her desk. Back in the office.

"Dammit! Out of all the days I take my watch apart, why did it have to be today?" Shaking her head, she ran inside, hoping she wasn't too late.

The giant clock mounted on the far wall of the Gallery struck nine, reminding her that she could have just come inside first. Riku rubbed her eyes. She really needed to get some more sleep. A loud click-y sound echoed through the hall, and she thought it was Dark before the voice on the intercom began to speak.

"The National Art Gallery is now closed. We would like to thank each of you for visiting today. Please make your way to the exit. The security guards will be locking each exhibit in ten minutes. Again, thank you all for coming."

The larger lights flicked off, leaving just enough light along the sides to guide people to the exit. It was then that Riku noticed something strange. The Shirahime no Tsuki sculpture directly across the hall began to glow. Its marble surface shone a pure, blinding white. Riku raised her arms to her eyes to block the light. At that instant, a dark shadow swept across her vision, and when she looked up, the statue was gone.

Gone! Dark had struck again!

She rushed up to the display area, where it had been fenced off around the base. Now, a section of it had been knocked over, and there were a few drag marks in that direction. Judging by the visible evidence, Dark had escaped to the right and down the hall. But Riku wasn't so sure. Supposedly, no one had ever caught Dark, which meant that he was too smart to leave a trail like this. So where could he have gone? Riku tried to visualize the crime in her mind.

He would have moved the statue over, and then picked it up, so as to avoid any other marks on the ground. But then? She scanned the surrounding area, but they were spotless as well. There was no sign of _anything_ there. So, he could have left that way, but there could also be other possibilities, such as…

Riku raised her head to the ceiling. A window there seemed to be missing its glass panes. He could have left that way, but… A swiveling motion on the wall caught her attention. A security camera was mounted there, its red light continuously blinking. The camera's vision would cut right across the window! There was no way Dark would take that route; his freedom depended on his anonymity. The description she had read came from witnesses' sightings, not from any concrete source.

She could say for certain that Dark did not escape through the main entrance. There were too many people, and she would have felt the rush of air if he'd passed her. So now, there were only two or three directions left. If she could eliminate just another one…

A hand fell on her shoulder. "What are you doing here? We've asked all the remaining patrons to exit the Gallery immediately. You should leave now," issued the gravelly voice of a security guard. She turned to look at him; surely he would know who she was. "I'm-" she began, but the man's partner ran up to them before she could finish.

"Do you know who that is?" he asked, almost frantically. "She's Harada Riku! The lady who's been titled the most successful detective of all time! You can't tell her to leave!"

Riku smiled as the first man looked at her incredulously. "After all," she added, "what if I'm Dark? Or one of the other people you've asked to leave?"

"Uh, duh…" the man spluttered in the shadow of her radiant smile.

"That's what I thought. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." She turned back to the scene of the crime as the man's partner pulled him away. She was running out of time. Dark was running away with the Shirahime no Tsuki while she stood here dawdling. There was only one right answer…

Riku squeezed her eyes shut and decided to trust her instincts this time. Dark went… this way! She ran down that path with a sinking feeling. What if she had chosen the wrong way? Then, Dark would have escaped and she would have failed. But there was no time to think about that now. Blindly she ran on, fueled by a sense of urgency.

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-Merodi-chan, 3.14.06. Happy Pi Day! 


	3. Part III

Finally finished! In a burst of inspiration, I wrote this chapter in like three days. Hope you like it!

-Merodi-chan, 12.10.06

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PART III 

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Riku tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her heart that was telling her she was wrong. Now more than ever, she had to believe in herself. This was no time to be recalling what They had told her after her first case. She shook her head and stared straight ahead, trying to catch a glimpse of anything or anyone in front. Her heart pounded heavily; her breathing was labored. But it wasn't too long before she emerged from the corridor onto a small platform edged off with a rail.

--

Daisuke dragged the heavy marble statue another few feet forward before setting it down with a grunt. As before, he resettled the dust behind him to erase the marks he had made. The stone-faced princess remained emotionless as she held the large white sphere in her arms steady. Continuing on this way, he had just reached the edge of the balcony when the sound of heels beating a brisk staccato tempo on the ground made him instinctively conceal himself and his prize. _Maybe it's just a stray museum patron, _he thought. _Or maybe not!_

--

She stood there with her hands on her knees, panting and trying to regain her breath. The cool night air caressed her red face as she slowly straightened. She was about to accuse Dark of taking the statue when she noticed that there was no one with her. She had failed again.

Tears stung her eyes as she leaned onto the railing. The wind had picked up, blowing directly into her face. All of her hard work had been for nothing, because she had decided to take this case upon herself. It wasn't one that she had needed to investigate in the first place, but she'd done it anyway. And now, her reputation, especially her standing with the police, was ruined.

_The public really is a harsh master,_ Riku thought as she gazed out over the night scene of the city she lived in. Her vision blurred as fresh liquid slid over her eyes and down her cheeks. All her life she had worked to please the people, but she had known this day would come. Now, because of an unneeded risk… Even the slightest mistake could destroy the strongest trust. She knew that firsthand.

_S-satoshi? What are you doing?_

_N-no! Stay- stay away from me!_

_Don't touch me!_

The painful memories that tore through her reduced her to a tightly coiled ball on the floor of the balcony. Sadness cut her heart like a sharp knife. Now numb and confused, she barely noticed as she unwound herself and moved slowly toward the edge. Her arms found the top of the railing and prepared to hoist the rest of her body over, but an unexpected pair of arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her back.

"What do you think you're doing?"

She looked up at the blurry face in a daze. "I'm going away…" She tried to get up again, but the arms held her down. _Those are some strong arms,_ she thought hazily.

"Stop it!"

"Let me go… I wanna fly…"

"If you're not going to listen to me, we'll just have to do this the hard way."

The arms shifted and a pair of warm lips met her own. The kiss brought her back to her senses. Her vision cleared to reveal a familiar face.

"Daisuke? But your hair's a dif- Oh, wait; I get it. You're Dark?"

"Um, yeah."

"So," she continued, "you knew who I was and what I was doing the whole time?"

"Um, yeah."

"Is that all you can say?"

"Um, yeah. But listen; I, um, I know this is sudden, but, uh, I think I-I think I'm in love with you." He was staring at her seriously, leaving her at a loss for words. When Riku finally got her voice back, everything came out in one burst.

"B-but we just met, and we've only talked once, and I'm supposed to turn you in, and I think I'm love with you too, uh, and I wasn't supposed to say that." Her cheeks flared bright red. "I, um, yeah. Okay."

He gave a small smile. "So, then, it's okay if I kiss you again?"

"I, um, s-sure."

Daisuke leaned in again, and this time, he washed away all of the doubt and hurt she had experienced with Satoshi. Her heart throbbed again, but this pain was good; it reminded her of life, and of the future ahead of her. For the first time, she found a person who she could place her complete trust in, who filled in the gap she'd had her whole life.

-Lemon Alert!-

Just kidding. Really, there's no lemon. Nothing happened. What? Why are you looking at me like that?

-End Lemon Alert-

"So, are you going to turn me in?"

They sat in each other's arms against the balcony railing, watching the stars above and the tiny lights below.

"…Nah. I'll let the police bust their brains trying to catch you. You know, I wasn't sure I'd picked the right way tonight." She giggled. "How do you do it?" she asked as a change of subject. "How did you manage to outfox everyone?"

"_You_ found me, didn't you?"

Riku hit his arm lightly in reply. "Everyone else."

"You're, uh, not going to like the answer."

"Tell me. I'm curious."

"As an example, the Shirahime no Tsuki" -he pointed to a shadowy corner- "is right over there. And the rest, well, why don't I just show you instead of telling you?"

Daisuke held Riku close against his body as he unfurled what seemed to be a large pair of black wings. Riku twisted her head around to see, but he was already moving. In the direction she was so determined to go earlier.

"Wait, no! What are you doing? We'll get killed!"

"Trust me…!"

They were falling, and he had to shout to be heard. Riku's ears were filled with the sound of rushing wind, and her stomach had forced itself into her throat. She curled herself up in the anticipation of a fall and began to mentally berate herself for falling in love with a stranger that just so happened to be a master thief. After all, who knows what kinds of tools they have to accomplish their work? This one just so happened to be experiencing some malfunctions.

Suddenly, the descent stopped as she heard the swoosh of huge wings. They were rising now, and then, Daisuke picked up speed. He flew into the now-dark sky with a wild grin on his lips, caught up in the excitement of flight. As his wings propelled them through the night air, Daisuke's voice whispered in her ear, "Are you enjoying this yet?"

She gave him a shaky smile, and then made the mistake of looking down.

--

As her piercing shriek cut through the silence, Daisuke could almost sense the lights turning on below them. He sighed heavily. If she were just a_ little_ louder… He stopped, flapping his wings vertically to stay up. Riku flailed in his arms, making it hard to stay aloft.

"Riku, will you stop that? I won't let you fall! Besides, you said you wanted to fly, didn't you?"

That made her break off in mid-scream. "I did?"

"Yes, you- oh, never mind," he replied, realizing that she wouldn't remember anything she'd said before. "Please don't yell like that. You're not going to fall, and someone might see us."

"Oh. Sorry."

--

She was quiet for the rest of the flight, happy to just be with Daisuke at that particular moment, happy to just be, for once, happy. Contentedly, she rested in his firm grasp while watching the scenery below. This flying feeling wasn't so bad once she got used to it.

Then, her cell phone rang. Well, actually, it sort of vibrated, but the surprise was the same. Stifling another shriek, Riku pulled out the phone and inwardly groaned. It was Risa.

"Miss Riku, I just got a call from police headquarters. They say you're under arrest for interfering with an official police-marked crime scene, among other charges, and they want you to turn yourself in or they'll launch a full-scale search." Risa paused. "Miss Riku, you're a criminal now, did you know that?" The worry in Risa's voice was clearly audible, and it almost broke Riku's heart to know that her assistant cared so much.

"Don't worry, Risa. It's all taken care of… The police are listening in right now, aren't they?" Riku chuckled as she envisioned, and quite correctly, Risa's frantic nod that accompanied the affirmation. "Risa… I don't think I'll be able to see you again, but…" She gulped. "Thanks for all your help throughout the years."

"S-so, I guess this is goodbye…?" Risa asked through her tears.

"I'm afraid so. Listen, I set aside a separate bank account for you where I've been keeping some money. You should know the code. I wish you good luck with whatever you do next, dear friend." Visibly choked with emotion, Riku hung up, while Daisuke tightened his hug.

After a few minutes of silent flight, he asked, "So, does that mean you're free to travel?"

"Huh?"

"Well, we're both wanted criminals, aren't we?" He grinned.

"I guess we are." She smiled in reply. Her future was definitely looking up. "Where to?"

"Anywhere and everywhere."

--

_**TOKYO NEWSPAPER**_

_**Disappeared Detective Urban Legend?**_

_Harada Riku, to many of the older generation, a beacon of truth. The one-time legendary detective was said to have been able to solve any number of cases. But is the story true? Said to have mysteriously disappeared about a decade ago, Harada is a figure that regularly haunts society. _

"_I know I've seen her," said one interviewed citizen. Another claimed to have hired the apparently famous woman to shadow her husband. In any case, no other information could be found about Harada other than from the people._

_Short reddish hair, brown eyes, medium height. A woman matching this description has been spotted in a number of different cities spanning continents, always in the company of a tall, dark-haired man. It is to be noted that witnesses have reported a diamond ring on the left hand of this woman, and anyone who remember Harada here do not recall such a ring._

_Is she real? Who knows? But the stories of her work and person have found their way into legend._

_In other news, the "Diamond Ring Case" that was opened about ten years ago has now been reported to be a cold case by Police Force Captain Hiwatori Satoshi._


End file.
